About Us

 

 

ABOUT US

Akwaaba and welcome to Akan Republic where we love everything about natural baskets and handmade accessories. My name is Felix Gyamfi and I am the creator of this brand, I would like to use this opportunity to tell you how  Akan Republic came about and what the business stands for.

Short history

My journey began in Ghana where I was born, moved to London in my late teens and ends in Spain. I’ve always entertained the idea of being self-employed, this is because I have always been drawn to developing something tangible and selling it. 

This excitement of being an entrepreneur continues to drive me to date. I like to watch an idea materialise into something positive and I take great joy in making my customers happy. 

After graduating with a degree in accounting and finance, among the many challenges of finding work in that field and working to make ends meet, I always had this void that needed to be filled.  This was because there was never a sense of completion.  I felt no satisfaction no matter how hard I worked.  

So it was during the end of the covid pandemic that I finally decided to give this idea I had many years ago a trial.  I loved the concept of this idea for many reasons for instance, it strengthens my connections with my roots as it presents me with the opportunity to visit more, work and learn more about my culture.  My other favourite reason was how this idea binds with my current home, What is the definition of home? Home is where I live, where family is, where friends are and where love resides.  In short, this project is the union of my heritage and my current home. Behind it, is a long story which starts with a boy from Ghana who moves to London, studies in Scotland, meets a pretty girl and moves to Spain where he finally sets up shop.

The Brand Name

Akan is my ethnicity making it the brand's cultural and origin story.  Most of our designs will draw inspiration from this background.  The "Republic" simply represents our respect and belief in Equality. This is one of our core principles within the Akan Republic family and our partners.  The symbols around our logo are called ADINKRA.  Behind each symbol is a name, story and value.  

The idea started taking shape with a simple question “What happened to all the market baskets?”Market baskets fulfilled many roles when I was growing up in Ghana, we used it for our daily shopping trips because it was easy to carry on the head or by hand.  Also, handmade woven products were used as decorative baskets, rugs, sleeping mats, storage and shopping baskets just to mention a few. Like many African countries, these baskets are made from Elephant Grass which grows very easily in many regions of Ghana.

We solely focus on handmade products using materials that are biodegradable and processes that are nature-friendly. Our ethical journey has just begun and it is a beautiful blend of culture and art. We will continue to bring you many more vibrant colours and amazing designs stretching across the entire Akan empire. It is also our mission to make available more sustainable products to customers who subscribe to the idea of using eco-friendly products. No effort is too small when doing one's bit to help the environment. 

We design our products and our weavers bring it to life. We work together throughout the design and weaving stages and the relationship with our weavers is like that of a family.   We prefer handmade not just because of the quality end result but also the human touch that our products are exposed to.  We are also able to create employment in the regions we operate. The choice of handmade allows us to make our baskets with care and transfer this energy onto our customers. Each basket tells its own story and no two handmade baskets are precisely the same. At Akan Republic we embrace our imperfections. 

So hop on board as we go on this amazing journey and become part of our family.